Overview
Organization Summary
At Global Vendor Delivery & Solutions (GVDS), we are transforming how Microsoft delivers business operations at scale. As part of MBO (Microsoft Business Operations), GVDS combines operational excellence, AI-powered innovation, and strategic partnerships to create secure, scalable, and high-performing services across a global vendor ecosystem.
As Microsoft evolves toward a Frontier Firm model, AI, automation, and agentic systems are reshaping how work gets done. GVDS plays a critical role in enabling that transformation by helping operations become more intelligent, adaptive, and outcome-focused. We are looking for leaders who can challenge legacy approaches, accelerate adoption of AI-first ways of working, and build sustainable systems that continuously improve customer and business outcomes.
The AI Transformation & Continuous Improvement Lead is responsible for embedding a culture of continuous improvement across Vendor Operations while accelerating the adoption of AI-enabled operating models. This role serves as a strategic bridge between operations, engineering, service design, and vendor partners to identify opportunities for transformation, eliminate inefficiencies, and drive measurable business outcomes.
Success in this role requires equal parts transformational leadership, operational excellence, and change management. The ideal candidate will build scalable improvement systems, champion AI-driven innovation, and advance Vendor Operations toward a Frontier Firm model that delivers greater quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and business value.
This is not a traditional Continuous Improvement role focused solely on Lean methodologies. It is a transformation leadership role responsible for helping redefine how operations are designed, executed, measured, and continuously optimized in an AI-first world.
Responsibilities
Capability Portfolio Ownership & Feature Management
Own the strategy, roadmap, prioritization, business cases, implementation governance, adoption, benefits realization, and continuous improvement of a portfolio of artificial intelligence-driven operational capabilities.
AI Transformation & Frontier Firm Enablement
Continuous Improvement System Deployment
Operational Excellence & Performance Management
Define and track metrics that reflect customer value, operational efficiency, quality, productivity, and adoption of AI-enabled capabilities.
Change Management & Organizational Adoption
Lead adoption strategies for new capabilities, operating models, tools, and ways of working, using stakeholder feedback and performance data to guide ongoing capability improvements.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence
Align stakeholders across Vendor Operations, Engineering, Service Design, and broader MBO initiatives.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
Demonstrated success driving measurable improvements in quality, productivity, customer experience, or operational efficiency.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience owning a portfolio of operational capabilities or features, including strategy, roadmap planning, prioritization, business case development, implementation governance, adoption, and benefits realization.
Experience implementing structured improvement methodologies such as Lean, PDCA, Kaizen, or related frameworks.
Success Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process.
